James Cameron reveals if Arnold Schwarzenegger will return for another ‘Terminator’ movie

Arnold Schwarzenegger says hasta la vista, baby, to the “Terminator” films.

Having starred in almost every film in the franchise since the titular project in 1984, the 78-year-old actor will not return for the next installment.

“I can safely say that it will not be [in it]”, co-creator James Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s time for a new generation of characters. I insisted that Arnold should be involved in “Terminator: Dark Fate”, and it was a great ending for him playing the T-800. There needs to be a broader interpretation of “Terminator” and the idea of ​​temporal warfare and superintelligence. I want to do new things that people don’t imagine.

The filmmaker, 71, added that he can’t wait to delve into the seventh film.

“Once the dust settles on ‘Avatar,’ in a few months, I’m really going to dive into it,” Cameron explained. “There are a lot of narrative problems to solve. The biggest one is how do we stay ahead of what’s really happening enough to make it science fiction?”

“The things that scare you the most are exactly the things you should be doing,” Cameron continued. “No one should operate artistically from a comfort zone.”

After the first film, Schwarzenegger appeared in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991), “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003), “Terminator Genisys” (2015), and 2019’s “Terminator: Dark Fate.”

During “Watch What Happens Live” in June, the bodybuilder revealed which of the films is his favorite.

“I would say the worst was probably No. 4, because that happened when I was governor. [of California] and I wasn’t in it,” Schwarzenegger admitted. “How do you make a ‘Terminator’ movie without me being in the ‘Terminator’ movie? This doesn’t make any sense. »

“Terminator Salvation” debuted in 2009 and starred Christian Bale.

During Cameron’s interview with THR, he also discussed the iconic “Avatar” franchise.

The director has refuted Matt Damon’s claims that the actor was offered a role in the first sci-fi film.

“He was never offered the role,” Cameron confessed. “I don’t remember if I sent him the script or not. I don’t think I did? Then we ended up calling each other and he said, ‘I love exploring the possibility of making a movie with you. I have a lot of respect for you as a filmmaker. [‘Avatar’] This sounds intriguing.

Damon, 55, has repeatedly said he turned down an offer to take 10 percent of the 2009 project’s gross profit if he played the role of Jake Sully. The role ultimately went to Sam Worthington.

According to Cameron’s recollection, Damon immediately turned down the idea of ​​playing Jake.

“‘I really have to do this ‘Jason Bourne’ movie,” he recounted telling the star. “‘I have accepted, it is a direct conflict and therefore, with regret, I must refuse it.'”

“We never proposed to him,” Cameron detailed. “There was never an agreement. We never talked about the character. We never got to that level. It was just an availability issue.”

He also criticized the idea that Damon would take 10 percent.

“If, in his mind, that’s what it would have taken for him to make ‘Avatar,’ then it wouldn’t have happened,” Cameron insisted. “Trust me on this.”

“Avatar” became the highest-grossing film of all time, grossing $2.9 billion worldwide.

Cameron, meanwhile, has nothing but respect for the Oscar winner.

“He felt compelled to call me personally and tell me; he said he didn’t want it to come from the agent – ​​he’s an honorable guy,” he exclaimed. “So all respect to Matt. I would love to work with him one day. But it never happened. It was an amalgamation of different things happening.”